HOTELS OF THE ADIRONDACKS

Nineteenth century Adirondack hotels ranged from lavish accommodations on the water to quaint retreats in the mountains. In their heyday they were responsible for drawing city travelers to the Adirondacks in a time when much of the area was still uncharted wilderness. The photographs of Seneca Ray Stoddard served as advertisements for the hotels, giving vacationers a chance to preview their summer lodgings. His photographs also served as mementos to bring back to the city as proof of roughing it in the Adirondacks.

Throughout each hotel's history there were many transitions including name changes, fires, abandonment and disrepair. Unfortunately for the hotels the grand time of leisure was fairly short-lived. World War I, outbreaks of disease and economic hard times combined to make summer long vacations impractical or undesirable. In the 20th century interest in the hotels waned.

Rogers Rock Hotel Lake George, ca. 1880 1977.218.1254	Rogers Rock Hotel was built in 1874 by the Treadway Brothers and offered all the comforts of a summer home. A large piazza provided shade for guests and rustic seats were placed all over the property for individuals to find their ideal sitting place. The hotel boasted five acres of vegetable garden resulting in outstanding dining. Rogers Rock Hotel remained standing until 1948.

With great expectations, the hotel opened in 1882 and attempted to cater to the wealthy by offering electric lights, running water, and a connected two-story outhouse. However, by 1900 business had declined, and in an effort to restore prestige the Prospect House was renamed the Utowana. Around 1902 typhoid fever hit the area and halted what little business the Utowana had kept. The hotel closed in 1903 and was demolished around 1915.	Prospect House Blue Mountain Lake, ca. 1881 1977.218.2797

Loon Lake House Franklin County, ca. 1880 1977.218.447	Made of hewn logs, the original three-story building was constructed in 1879 with great support from hunters and fishermen traveling through the area. In its thirty years of operation, the proprietor, Mrs. Mary Chase, expanded the house from its initial ten acres to four thousand acres that included golf courses and a larger, remodeled hotel. The house had its last big season in 1929 and burned in September 1956.

Located between Mirror Lake and Lake Placid, the hotel opened in July 1878 with room to sleep twenty. In 1885 the Grand View was rebuilt to accommodate more visitors.	Grand View House Lake Placid, ca. 1893 1977.218.478

Leland House Schroon Lake, ca. 1880 1977.218.2486	The Leland had an unusually long life. From its construction in 1872, it served prominent and wealthy guests until 1938. Initially, the three-story Leland had 125 rooms, but as business increased the building was expanded to 200 rooms. The hotel passed into the hands of millionaire Senator James Emerson who was responsible for paving many of the dirt roads throughout the area. On October 21, 1914 the house was destroyed by fire when Halloween pranksters tossed a cigar into dry leaves near the building. The Leland was promptly rebuilt only to burn to the ground again in December 1938.

The 400-room hotel was built in 1886 on the site of the former Excelsior Hotel, which had burned down the previous year. The owners, the Stevens Brothers from Vermont, provided one of the largest and best-equipped hotels in the Adirondacks, complete with tennis courts, a baseball field and a golf course. By 1890, the hotel even had electricity. The Stevens House stood 200 feet above Lake Placid giving a fantastic view of the lake and surrounding mountains.	Stevens House and Cottages Lake Placid, ca. 1889 1977.218.424

Saranac Lake House Lower Saranac Lake, ca. 1890 1977.218.893	First appearing in Stoddard's Adirondacks Illustrated in 1877, the Saranac Lake House provided accommodations for 250 guests. Nestled next to the lower portion of Saranac Lake, the hotel offered a beautiful setting for its guests. The rooms were reportedly large, well ventilated and well lighted with large fireplaces in many of them. Two stories of piazzas allowed guests to walk under a covered promenade. The last year the hotel was featured in Stoddard's Adirondacks Illustrated was 1905.

Wawbeek replaced a smaller lodge on the same site in the 1880's. The lodge was accessible by a road to Tupper Lake and a steamboat line to different parts of Saranac Lake. The lodge was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1915. It burned again in 1980.	Wawbeek Lodge Upper Saranac Lake, ca. 1890 1977.218.2945
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